Five-year old sugar cookies

If you pass on your sweet tooth gene to your five year old, he'll probably want to make sugar cookies....... and when he makes sugar cookies, they are likely to look a lot like this....

and because the sugar cookies are so nice and sweet, he'll probably invite his three year old brother to help...

and because he invited his three year old brother to help, you'll end up with a dozen cookies with a little nibble taken out of each and every one....

and then while the boys are not looking you'll fix the cookies into beautifully round balls and bake them to perfection.
And because the cookies are beautifully round and baked to perfection, later that night you will serve them to your guests, because the heat generally kills all the germs and they will probably never know---unless of course they read this blog---:)

Wordless Wednesday--Flippy Nicky

See More Wordless Wednesday photos at 5 Minutes For Mom

I ♥ Faces

Stephanie over at Baseball and Tutu's clued me into a little photography contest called I ♥ Faces-Kids. Go check it out...lots of inspiring photographs!

The purpose of I ♥ Faces is to provide a photography sharing forum that focuses on the art of capturing faces and their various emotions. Each week, people from across the world will have the opportunity to enter their favorite face photos into two different categories ~ kids and adults. A judge will pick a winning photo from each category that will then be displayed on our home page.

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You all know that I can never pass up the chance to show a photo of one of my beautiful boys...Here is my entry for this week. This is not the first time I've shown this photo on my blog...but it is one of my favorites of all time. Enjoy!

Not Me Monday!

It's "Not Me Monday" again. Being Brutally honest and living to tell about it..Join in on the fun by visiting MckMama!

Wow what a week...let's see what I didn't do this week......

*I did not pray to God for one good solid poop for our two baby boys instead of the diarrhea they were experiencing, because I am STILL not pooped out from all the poop at our house....Why would I pray for that with all the other things to pray about like newborn baby Harper who is critically ill with an, as of yet, unknown very serious health issue, or baby Brayden who's lungs stopped developing at 36 weeks and is now fighting for his life in the NICU, or Little Abby who has a high risk and aggressive form of Leukemia and who is right now undergoing the therapy that could kill her.... She just had a conversation with her mommy where she asked, "Mommy, am I going to grow up and be big?" Heartbreaking.
....Why the heck would I ask God for such a silly thing as a solid piece of "doo doo" when there are so many more important things to pray for?

***see how I did that...I worked in a couple of prayer requests into my Not Me's. Now go to their sites and read about their families and send up your prayers! :)


*And since I worked in some prayer requests why not work in something else?:
When Elaine over at the Miss-Elaine-ous Life tagged me for a meme, I didn't almost decide to ignore her because of what the meme asked......BUT if I had decided to do it..Here are the Rules:

1) Take a picture of yourself right NOW!
2) DON'T change your clothes; DON'T fix your hair... Just take a picture.
3) Post that picture with NO editing.
4) Post these instructions with your picture.

I mean, seriously, I was SOOO excited to take a picture of myself in my current state of beautifulness. Here is the picture I didn't take...you'll notice that I didn't try to cover up as much of my face as possible.....

*Not sure if you can tell in the picture, but I have a few freckles...and today Nick didn't tell me that I was "Too Old" to have freckles....thanks a lot kid.

*I did not walk through several "Open Houses" in our neighborhood last weekend just "to see"...nope why would I care about stuff like that? I love our house! I was not even a little bit upset that one of the houses had dropped in price by $70,000....Seriously?

*I do not think my neighbor is trying to torture her dogs....she hangs bird feeders right outside the fence line and squirrels hang upside down from said bird feeders....Their two labs just sit there and salivate and stare at the squirrels....Or maybe she is just trying to entertain baby Brian who stands at our back window and laughs hysterically at the dogs.

*I am not dreading the thought that I have to help Nick make a dinosaur from "things around the house" and turn it in this week for "Open House" at his school....He's 5, how the heck is he gonna make a dinosaur from cotton balls, toothpicks, and cheerios....and Plus, I'm still a little peeved at him for the "old" comment, So I'm not sure I want to help him anyway :)

...and Elaine...if you ever have to make a dinosaur from "things around the house"...I'm not helping you either.... :) tee hee....you know I'm joking right? I really do like you!

****I am not TAGGING each and every lucky person that reads my Not Me's today.....Seriously, now go and take a picture of yourself and put it on your blog....remember NO makeup, no primping...Don't forget to post the instructions with your photos .....and tag 10 more people....., Go, go my beautiful blog friends....let's see you in all your bedhead glory!

Have a great Monday y'all....

♥Liz

Cousins? More like Brothers.

These two handsome little boys are cousins. Patrick (aka P.K.) is two years older than Alex---my brother David's son. They have grown up together, not always in the same state, but always together in their hearts. They have a special bond that is indescribable, they are best buds......

They are like brothers......

When we moved, they missed each other every day...now that they are back together they couldn't be happier.

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This is one of my favorite photos...just love the baby bellies!

P.K. age 4 Alex 2
PK 6, Alex 4
The boys on the cruise ship during a summer vacation.
Look at these handsome "little men" Alex age 6, PK 8

Alex age 7, PK 9

Not Me Monday! and a couple of prayer requests

First, I'll start out with my prayer requests....

This is my beautiful Gramma, or "G.G."(Great Gramma) to my boys--- She had a small stroke on Saturday and is in the hospital. She has lost use of her leg and some use of her arm, but her mind is apparently still sharp. She told the doctor that if she could take two steps she was outta there (there being the hospital)....and then when she couldn't take two steps she guessed she's stay but only if they got her a room by 4:30 so she could watch the game....(she is a complete fanatic for all sports---hmmm I guess it's genetic!)

So, please pray for her recovery. Her body has been falling apart for several years, but her mind is extremely sharp. She wants to stay in her home, so please pray that our family can figure out a way to make that possible.

The other prayer request is for Nick. He has had a hoarse voice for several years, but lately it has been getting worse. We have seen an ENT and he was scoped. His vocal cords were normal and healthy. Our doctor thought he might have allergies. He has been on allergy meds for awhile, but his voice is still bad. We are seeing a GI doc tomorrow to determine if he has reflux. Apparently the testing for that is not very much fun. Please pray for bravery for him and his mama and that everything goes smoothly!




Okie dokie...... So on to the Not Me's......Being brutally honest and living to tell about it... To see more Not Me's visit MckMama

This week:

I haven't blocked out most of this week in hopes of not remembering the National Championship game on Thursday night. Seriously I am having a really hard time remembering anything from last week.....Denial is not just a river in Egypt....tee hee.
Apparently my brother Brett is also in denial, since I haven't heard anything from him since the game...Either that or his girlfriend locked him away in a mental institution---(due to football depression....;)
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I am not excited for my cousin Erin, because her husband is not coming home Tuesday after a tour in Iraq.
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I am not happy and sad at the same time that Prince Charming is very officially back to work and out of town 3 days this week.
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I am not planning to watch 5 or 6 DVR'd T.V. shows today and tonight (Grey's Anatomy, Ugly Betty, etc etc...yea!) since Prince Charming isn't here and he won't know when or if the dishes got done---not that he cares...but I don't want him to think I just sit around blogging and watching TV all day! HA---If only!
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I am not pooped out from all the diarrhea at my house....Nathan is going on day 5 and Brian day 2....hey, at least it's not all 4!...YET!
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Alex is "The Friend of the Week" at school and I did not attempt to add a really cute naked baby picture to his "All About Me" poster only to hear shouts of "NO WAY MOM!"...ya know cause he's never embarassed by things like that....why wouldn't he want to show a cute naked baby picture of himself....he was soooooo adorable!!!!! I just can't understand it! ----If I had the picture on my computer I would show it to you....but that photo was from before my "digital days"....
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That's it for me this week.....have a good one ya'll!

♥liz

Thankful Thursday!

1 Thessalonians 5:18
In everything give thanks. For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.


First of all I am thankful for this video of Brian's baptism...we have never had a baptism video'd before (our previous churches were really small), and I love seeing it....it is really sweet and pretty darn funny as well....you gotta see it if you can!




Watch what Brian does to Alex....and Nathan is particularly funny as well....well at least he is to us...☺ Brian goes crazy the whole time reaching for the water....he wants to play in it so badly he can barely stand it! After he is baptized he sounds like he is saying "more" for the water!

No pressure to watch.....unless you are in my family or one of my best friends....☺

I am thankful that school has started again and that we are getting back into a routine...Things run so much more smoothly when we have a schedule.

I am thankful for our wonderful family filled Christmas.

I am thankful for the different personalities of our children---they keep us on our toes!

I am thankful for the new Wednesday night adult program Prince Charming and I went to last night....and for the children's program. It is just amazing.

I am thankful for the mild Oklahoma weather...what a difference a year makes!

I am thankful for visits from my friends over Christmas and their BEAUTIFUL and AMAZING children.....love you Ashlea and Molly!

I am thankful that while I am writing this Prince Charming is folding the laundry!

I am thankful for my Dad and his ability to make me think about things in different ways.

I am thankful that OU is playing for the National Championship tomorrow night!

I am thankful for my husband and children...Every Day All Day...

I am thankful for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Have a Great Week......

♥liz

Wordless(ful) Wednesday Makeover #2

Boomer Sooner!

So here is Nick and Nathan's room. As you can see, the boys got involved in this photo shoot. Here is Nathan putting his number one's in the air! I painted the bottom part of the wall green, with a white stripe above for the "sideline" then a red strip above it...the color on top is the original color of the walls...I figured it was close enough to cream, so I left it. My brother painted my nephews room the same way but switched the crimson and cream parts.....so the red part is on top. I didn't do it that way cause I wanted the fathead to show up well. I bought vinyl number and letter stickers along with a blank 8 1/2x11" white vinyl sticker that I cut down to make the yard lines....it was pretty easy that way...I know it took my brother something like 24 man hours to paint and stencil on the yardlines and numbers...always glad to learn from other people's hardships! ☺

Prince Charming obtained a jersey from a real player several years ago during a "yard sale" at OU...I don't think it was a famous player...but we pretend like it was!

The fat head! This one was a little more difficult to put up then A.D.

Ok...so there is a Jack and Jill Jack bathroom between the yellow and purple room and the red, green and cream room......what color should I paint their bathroom????? Do you think it matters? Does it have to go with the other rooms or should I just paint it blue?

I am currently working on a wooden sign that will go above their dresser...It will say "Play Like a Champion Today"....as the OU football players leave the locker room they pass a sign that says this....they all touch the sign as they go past it for Good Luck! There are black and white pictures of old OU football players around this sign....so cool...gotta love tradition!

Nathan is proud of his room!

Nick on the rug.

Their dresser...there is another one in their closet. This one I painted and distressed.

And it wouldn't be complete without a picture of a boy with a helmet on!

Hut Hut!

To see more Wordful Wednesdays, or to participate yourself, just jump on over to Angie's blog.

To see more "Wordless Wednesdays click here.

♥Liz

Room Makeover #1

I was busy painting, painting, painting and decorating the boys rooms over the Christmas break and I promised I would post some pictures when all was said and done.
This is Alex's room.
His football hero is Adrian Peterson-who played at Oklahoma-and is now a running back for the Minnesota Vikings. Too bad Adrian wasn't drafted by the Dallas Cowboys, or New England Patriots or ANY team with better colors......but actually the wall color is really growing on me...it's bright, but so cheery....I wish the pictures had come out a little clearer...oh well...you get the gist............................

This is a shot from the entryway

and the opposite corner

I guess people in Minnesota call Adrian "Purple Jesus" because he is supposed to be their Savior....We (Oklahoma fans) call him A.D.---A.D is the nickname his Dad gave him. It stands for "All Day" because his family said he could run all day.

Alex's initials are actually A.D.---so he would love for us to call him that...but it hasn't caught on yet...☺ Much to his chagrin

Here is Alex's desk

and here is his bed....we are going to get him a full size bed eventually. That is why his duvet looks a little weird....it's a full size duvet on a twin size bed....

This is right above the doorway to his room...he sees it every day as he leaves his room....we have talked about all the other "meanings" for this saying.....things that pertain to life and not just sports!

♥liz

Not Me Monday

MckMama said it best this week.......

Not Me! Monday was born out of a desire to admit some of our imperfections and reveal a few moments we'd rather forget.

Why?

Well, for one, because it's just plain fun to pretend that we really did not do the things that we actually did do. And, two, because reading through great tales of other people's Not Me! Mondays each week is a great way to level the playing field. We're all human, we all take embarrassing shortcuts, and so we may as well show each other that we're all in good company!

If you want to join in on the fun visit MckMama's blog!

OKie DOkie.....so here are my not me's for the week:

I am not the least bit excited that school starts tomorrow and that Christmas break is OVER!

While waiting to take our family portrait at church for the directory, I did not sit in an "invisible" chair, hit my hip and arm on an actual chair that was next to my "invisible" chair and then hit my head on the post behind me.....I do not have some really really large bruises....
I did not wonder if the photographers and church members thought I was "Sippin' the Sauce Communion Wine"...(although that my have been a good idea in retrospect)
Note to self: Do not attempt family portraits until the youngest child is at least 5

I did not spend New Year's Eve texting back and forth with my two little brothers. If so, I certainly did not take any pictures with my cell phone (of old pictures of nights out on the town with my brothers-) and send the pictures to them. We certainly did not LOL (in texting terms) at these pictures. Nope, because I was definitely out whooping up the night with my husband and not sitting at home watching TV and engaging in "text wars" with my brothers!

I did not decide not to post any of said pictures because they were too embarassing and you all would think less of me...
Nope! I didn't post any of the pictures because I couldn't find them.....ahem ;)


I did not, not one single time, make fun of my husband while he wheeled himself around on his "knee walker"...I also did not laugh at him, nor tease him mercilessly, when he requested that his "knee walker" have a basket on the front.....

And since I didn't do any of those things, I also did not threaten to add some "embellishments" to his "knee walker"---ya know...things that a person like me would never think of......things like a bell, a plastic bike license plate with his name on it, and some streamers for his handle bars.

Prince Charming did not refuse my request to take a posed picture of him on the knee walker for my blog....he didn't think that was too cheesy...He also didn't say that if I wanted to get a "natural" action shot tomorrow that I could post it....tee hee.....(Isn't that sweet?)



I did not change the lead song of my blog to "Boomer Sooner" in anticipation and excitement for the National Championship game on Thursday......ya know...to get all of ya'll in the mood for some football....

I did not love Hootin' Anni's comment from this post, where she called Coach Craig (my cousin) a "cutie patootie" and then threatened to become a hockey fan....

I did not love the comment even more when I visited her blog and realized she was a fiesty mature lady!

Seriously though....you oughta visit her she is hilarious!


I am not looking forward to the kids going back to school tomorrow....oh wait! Did I already say that??? oooops.☺


That's all I got for this week......see ya'll next week when the Sooners are National Champions!
(I am not at all obnoxious about my Sooners....☺)



♥Liz

A lot has Changed.......

WOW! The year 2008 brought a lot of wonderful changes.

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For Instance........

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This sweet boy changed from this....... ...to this.....♥♥♥

Not only did we move to a different house, but to a whole different state...from Nebraska to Oklahoma!
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We found new schools, new teachers, and new friends.

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Nick started Kindergarten!

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We went from attending a very small rural Episcopal Church in Nebraska to a 2000+ member Presbyterian Church in Oklahoma.....Thanks be to God that we feel just as much at home at either one!

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We lost the sweetest most wonderful neighborhood in Nebraska where we made incredible friends, and gained a new neighborhood where we are still trying to find our place.

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Our two big boys learned how to snowboard and ski. Alex learned to kneeboard (water ski).
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We had 4 kids birthdays, basketball season, baseball season, soccer season, and football season...shew!

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We have a total of 4 wiggly teeth between 2 children...which will make 6 times the tooth fairy has visited our house as soon as the boys are brave enough to pull them out!
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Nathan learned how to ride a bike (with training wheels).

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Brian said his first word....ya know along with all those other firsts that come with the first year of life.

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Nick learned to tie his shoes and read!

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Alex has learned more in first grade than I learned in all of Elementary school!

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ETC ETC ETC....but I'm sure your are bored enough by now! ☺

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And here are the rest of the sweet (and changed) faces......

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They were actually all supposed to be together, but somehow one of Alex's pics got erased after I had typed everything and so he had to go at the top....maybe in the next year I can figure out how to put a picture anywhere I want and in any order in a post???? Anybody know how? It takes a lot of forethought for me to upload the pictures in the correct order....and we all know how I don't like to think ahead....if you don't know that now....well, you will!

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But I digress.......

Here are the 3 little(r) boys.......

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My little Nicky.....everybody say ohhhhhh!

and now.......I think he has changed the most.
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and Nathan....he smiled like this for about 6 months...this is the best picture I could find...sheesh......oh well!
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and here he is now....I guess he's learned to say "cheese" in the last year!

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Okay...well maybe Brian has changed the most in the last year......ohhhhh my sweet little guy!

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and a year later! Time sure flies when you are having fun!

Happy, Happy New Year!